Persuasion of a Different Kind
by Calie1
Summary: Now she had to persuade him. Spoilers for Persuasion.


"What did you do?" Oliver asked through gritted teeth.

Clark blew out a loud breath and rubbed his face. "It was an accident. Some kryptonite gemstone is making the things I say come true. More like granting wishes."

"So what? You wished for two stalkers?" Oliver said and threw his arms out towards Lois and Chloe who were currently passed out.

"No," he shook his head, "It wasn't like that."

"Really?" Oliver leaned over and grabbed his bow from the floor and held it up for Clark. "Because it seemed to me that Chloe was about to put an arrow through Lois' heart."

"And how the hell did she learn how to do that?" Clark asked harshly as he remembered turning and seeing his best friend on the upper level of the barn, arrow aimed at Lois.

"Don't turn this around on me. What did you wish for?"

With a sigh Clark sat down on the arm of the sofa. He looked down at Lois who currently lay sprawled out along the cushion, head lolled to the side in a deep sleep. "That Lois and I could have a more traditional relationship. And that Chloe would spend more time watching out for me and not everyone else."

A flash of anger shot through Oliver as he remembered Chloe brushing him off, proclaiming that she couldn't be bothered with him and need to attend to Clark. "You really are selfish you know that." Clark turned his head sharply and narrowed his eyes, but Oliver wasn't the least bit fazed. "You finally get Lois and you're still not happy. And for some reason you expect Chloe's existence to still revolve around you? Let's not forget the fact that you've deserted her as a friend. You have a lot to say about what you think she should do, but I don't see you ever making any effort to go to her for anything more than what you need."

"I didn't notice you being that supportive when you were off binge drinking for a month," Clark responded. "I don't think you should be lecturing me."

"Maybe not," he admitted, remembering the month grimly. He was ashamed of the way he acted and he knew there wasn't much he could do to make up for his carelessness. "But at least I can say I've made an effort to be there for Chloe. Which is more than I could say for you." He turned away from Clark and looked down at the blonde sleeping in the the armchair. Even though he now knew why she'd said what she did, it still hadn't fully erased the pain her words had caused, pain that he really hadn't been prepared for. It was later after talking to Clark about Lois' strange behavior that he had put two and two together and hurried back to the watchtower only to find the door to where he kept some of his gear open and his bow missing. He'd grabbed his cross bow, armed with tranquilizer darts, and hauled ass to the farm. Twenty minutes later he'd found Chloe aiming an arrow at Lois. He'd taken the two women down in seconds. "Grab my stuff," Oliver ordered and bent over at the waist to scoop Chloe up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" Clark asked as he stood, slightly confused by the sight of Oliver lifting Chloe.

"I'm taking her out of here before she has another go at Lois. Or before you make any more wishes. Besides, do you really think she can take me out with an arrow?" Clark didn't see the way he smirked as he looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms. Disregarding how serious the situation could have been and the fact that Lois had been on the other side of the arrow, Oliver had to admit that he was kind of proud.

"Would she have hit her?" Clark asked as he followed Oliver; bow, arrows, and crossbow in his hands.

"You were there, so I wouldn't think so," Oliver said simply and walked around his car to the passenger side door.

"That's not what I mean and you know it. You told me that not anyone can just pick up your bows and use them." Clark pulled open the passenger side door to Oliver's car and stepped back. He waited as Oliver settled Chloe into the seat and buckled her in.

After shutting the door and straightening, Oliver turned to face Clark. "If you're asking me if Chloe's arrow would have hit Lois, definitely. She was aimed for a kill and I can guarantee you she wasn't going to miss. And if you're asking if I showed her how to use it then the answer is yes."

"Don't you think she's in enough danger already?" Clark challenged.

"Chloe will be in danger no matter what happens. You can't control it and neither can I. But at least I can give her one more way to protect herself and in the mean time she doesn't have her face buried in her computers, blocking out the rest of the world." He walked away from Clark and stopped at the drivers side door. "Fix this. Because if I have to tranquilize her again because she tries to kill me for getting in her way I'm not going to be happy."

* * *

Chloe moaned and winced as she opened her eyes.

"Well good morning sleeping beauty."

She turned and sought the familiar voice. "Oliver?" Then it all hit her. Her conversation with Oliver, taking his bow and arrow, and driving to the barn with the intention of killing Lois. "Lois!"

She shot up off the bed, but his hands on her shoulders stopped her from getting past sitting up. "She's fine. It was some kind of Kryptonian gemstone. Took some of Clark's words literally I guess. He said he wanted you to look out for him more and not others. End result being you aiming an arrow at Lois."

"Oh god." She covered her mouth in shock. "I almost killed her."

"Yeah...but Clark was there and he wouldn't have let that happened. Plus I got there in time. And sorry about that. Tranquilizer darts will leave you with a bit of a headache." She finally seemed to focus on him. "How do you feel?"

"You did that?" Chloe asked as she vaguely recalled the pain in her neck.

"Yeah." He watched her lift a hand to the back of her neck and then wince. He felt a small pang of guilt and brought his hand up, pushing hers gently out of the way, and rubbed the skin on her neck lightly even though he knew it wouldn't really ease the soreness.

She met his eyes and stared at him in silence as he gently massaged her neck. Knowing Lois' life was safe and that it was some kind of Kryptonian rock that had made her crazy made it easier to focus on other things, like what she had said to Oliver. "I'm sorry, about what I said. All of it. I didn't mean it." The concern on his face fled, leaving his face void of any emotion.

"It's fine." He dropped his hand from her neck and moved to stand. "That wasn't you."

"I know." She grabbed his his hand to stop him. "But you thought I meant it, and I'm sorry about that. I wouldn't give any of this up, especially not for Clark. I mean Clark is important to me, but so is the rest of the team, and so are you."

"Chloe..." He smiled gently, and prayed it didn't appear as forced as it felt. "It's fine." He grabbed her hand and pulled it from his wrist. "I understand. You don't have to try to convince me. And I know very well that you've known Clark a lot longer, there is nothing wrong with his friendship being more important." Even though Clark had been a self righteous ass to her the past year.

She watched him get up and swallowed thickly. Even though he had to know she hadn't meant anything she said and even though he said he accepted her apology something still wasn't sitting right. "But it's not like that. I mean Clark is important to me, but things are different now." He turned slowly to face her, and she almost got the impression he was waiting. "You know that. Clark and I, things have changed."

He shook his head, pushing away the feelings that clawed at the surface, wanting to be free of the prison he'd shoved them into. "It doesn't matter Chloe."

He turned again and she launched herself out of the unfamiliar bed, his bed. "Don't tell me that. Don't act like I don't remember what you said." This time when he turned to her gone was the calm facade he had put up. His eyes were hard, his jaw tight.

And he wished he could have taken it back. She'd blindsided him earlier when she had brushed him off, for good it had seemed at the time. Regardless of what he knew now, the memory of her being so calm and collected, dismissing him and then proceeding to tell him how much Clark needed her.

****flashback****

"_He needs me Oliver. What greater purpose can I serve then to devote my time to Clark, probably the most powerful person on this planet. I'm glad to make the sacrifice for him. Everything else, everyone else, well they don't matter."_

_He watched her walk around, powering down equipment, not even sparing him a glance of concern. It had seemed like a bad joke initially, because the thought that Chloe would desert everything she'd worked for, everything she'd worked for with him just for Clark seemed ludicrous. "This is ridiculous. What is wrong with you?"_

"_Nothing." She turned to him and shrugged. "Actually, for the first time everything is clear for me. There is no fear of my future or where I belong. I know now. My future is with Clark, at his side, protecting him, helping him. No one else matters, not when I know he needs me."_

"_Needs you?!" Oliver exclaimed angrily. "He needs you when it's convenient for him! But I don't ever see him being there when you need him!"_

"_I knew you wouldn't understand." She shook her head and grabbed her purse. "But I really don't have time to talk about this, Clark needs me."_

_Not even an apology, or an explanation that made sense. He grabbed her arm harder then he intended, fury bubbling to the surface and blinding him. "What about me? Don't you think I need you here?" She opened her mouth to speak, but he grabbed her other arm and hauled her against him. "I can guarantee you that Clark doesn't need you half as much as I do Chloe and I know he doesn't care about you the same way."_

"_Really, Oliver," she pressed the palms of her hands against his chest and stepped back, "I can't talk, I've got to go."_

_He let his hands fall from her arms, too shocked by her total disregard for his feelings to even hold on to her. It was like a slap in the face that left him cold and empty._

_****end flashback****_

"So don't tell me it doesn't matter when it obviously does. Why say that then?"

"What else was I going to say?!" he exclaimed, finally losing the leash he had on his emotions. "You were walking out the door! I thought maybe if you understood you'd stop for a minute. Little did I know you weren't running on all cylinders."

She chose to ignore the jab and plow on. "Well I'm trying to understand now. I'm trying to tell you that it isn't just about Clark anymore and even he must have known that." He turned his face from her and she knew he wasn't going to volunteer any information. "So now _you're_ going to act like it doesn't matter? Reverse it on me?"

He snapped his head back around, a little thrown that she would even assume that was what he was trying to do. "It isn't like that. Of course it matters."

She didn't want to argue with him and she suspected she didn't have much left in her to find the words to argue. Instead she stepped forward hesitantly, still holding his eyes with her own, and wrapped her arms slowly around his neck, pulling herself against him and burying her face against his chest. There was a long moment where her heart seemed to stop in her chest and she feared that he would step away, pull her hands from around his neck. The moment ended quickly though when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her tightly against him. For the first time she breathed a sigh of relief.

He let his eyes fall shut as his body betrayed him and relaxed against her. He held her closer, even though some part of him still insisted he should push her away.

She held tightly to his neck, scared to pull away and somehow ruin the moment between them. "I need you too," Chloe said finally, fearing how exposed the words left her and relieved that it was out in the open. "And the way I feel about you," she swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut, "it's different than the way I feel about Clark." He didn't say anything in response, but he held tighter, pulling her up until only her toes touched the ground and buried his face in her neck. She sighed as his warm breath caressed her neck and his lips pressed below her ear. "This has been a really bad day," Chloe admitted. His hands moved over her back, rubbing it gently. "Do you think anyone will be mad that I tried to kill Lois?"

He smiled into her neck and resisted the urge to laugh. "I think Clark feels guilty enough, and Lois, from what I hear, is trying to forget that she even tried to marry Clark."

Chloe pulled away from him and looked up at him in confusion. "She _was_ wearing a wedding dress, wasn't she?"

He nodded and straightened up, leaving his arm around her waist but lifting the other so he could brush loose strands of blonde hair from her cheek. "That she was. Of course that came after she quit the Planet and moved into the farmhouse."

Chloe's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. Of course, my fall of the wagon wasn't any less crazy."

"No," he cradled her face in his hand and gently brushed his thumb over her cheek, "but I have to admit, forgetting the fact you almost killed Lois, you standing there, arrow loaded and aimed perfectly, was a lot hotter than Lois becoming Suzy Homemaker."

His fingers slid into her hair and she soon felt him guiding her head back. "I did have a good teacher."

"You had an exceptional teacher," Oliver whispered against her lips before pressing his against her own.


End file.
